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If God is everywhere, that means that we are at all times in the situation, the setting, that makes prayer possible. For we are at all times in the presence of the One whom we desire to touch, to reach, in prayer. We don't have to go looking for God, as if God were somehow missing from our lives.
- William H. Shannon, Seeds of Peace
(God is here . . . now . . . loving! What is your response?)
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Col 1:15-20; Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
Lk 5:33-39
The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink.”
Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”
And he also told them a parable.
“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,
and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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““When the days come that the Groom is removed from their midst, they will surely fast in those days.” —Luke 5:35
Jesus said that we, His disciples, will surely fast. However, our fasting as Jesus’ followers differs from Old Testament fasting. New Testament fasting is so powerful that it is compatible only with a New Testament lifestyle (Lk 5:37). Without the new wineskin of a new lifestyle to contain the new wine of our new fasting, our fasting will not be constructive but destructive. Therefore, to fast as the Lord calls us, we must
first be letting the Spirit create in us a new lifestyle.
The Spirit will do this by giving us a relationship with Jesus which takes precedence over our selfish desires, compulsions, and habits. In the Spirit, we will be able to say: “Those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ. I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. For His sake I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all
else rubbish so that Christ may be my Wealth and I may be in Him” (Phil 3:7-9).
At this time in history, the Spirit may be calling the Church to fast in a special way. Fasting sets people free (Is 58:6) and, with prayer, is the only way to drive out certain demons (Mt 17:21, NAB). However, to fast in full New Testament power, we must let the Spirit change our lifestyle by giving us a love for Jesus which surpasses everything.
Prayer: Father, free me from this prison of a self-centered, pleasure-seeking lifestyle.
Promise: Jesus “is before all else that is. In Him everything continues in being.” —Col 1:17
Presentation Ministries
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Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
- by Philip St. Romain. Liguori Publ., 1986.
6. Live One Day at a Time
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it (Psalm 118:24).
Human life is experienced as an ongoing progression of now-moments, but they come to us in day-sized chunks. Each day we are given energy to do what we need to do; then we must sleep a few hours to renew ourselves. This natural, biological rhythm is a reminder of the importance of living one day at a time.
Jesus taught about daily living. “Let tomorrow take care of itself,” he said. “Today has troubles enough of its own” (Matthew 6:34). We should, therefore, pray that God will “give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).
God has unlimited energy, but we, his children, must depend upon him each day for life. Acts 17:28 reminds us: “In him we live and move and have our being.” But we do so one day at a time, not knowing which day might be our last one on earth.
Daily living also reminds us to trust in providence. Plan for tomorrow we must, but we do so in trust and confidence—not like that rich man in the Gospels who stored up grain in his barns and lived only for the future (see Luke 12:16-21). Trusting in providence means that we believe we have everything we need for doing what needs to be done today. If we believe we lack something essential, we should pray over this, knowing that God always gives what is needed to do his will each
day.
If we persist in believing that there is something lacking in ourselves or in the circumstances of this day, then perhaps we are not willing to accept the realities of life. As Ann Landers put it, “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” The reality of our life is unfolding right now, during this day. What is needed will be given to us in God’s own time. Sufficient for today are our talents and resources to do his will.
Daily living requires that we choose wisely the manner in which to spend our limited energies. Like people with only a small amount of money to spend, we must be careful about wasting our resources. If financial planning is a prudent exercise, then so is formulating a daily plan of action. We will be amazed at how much we will accomplish in a month if we set for ourselves small daily goals—especially ones concerning spiritual growth.
We must listen to our hearts and trust our instincts through the day. If we are hungry, eat; if we are tired, take a break; if we need a hug, reach out and ask for one. We should learn to cooperate with the rhythms and movements of energy within us. This is one of the ways the Spirit leads us to renewal all through the day.
Suggested Practices
1. What would you like to say you have accomplished at the end of
this day? (Be reasonable.) What are you going to do to meet this
goal?
2. What were some of the surprises that confronted you during
the past 24 hours? How did you respond to them?
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